Ice tray



Aug. 14, 1951 J. H. ROETHEL ICE TRAY Filed Aug. 7, 1947 1N VEN TOR. n/7 /71 774 e eZ Patented Aug. 14, 1951 UNITED S TATS PATENT OFFICE ICE TRL-Ar -J'oim H. Hoewel, Detroit, Mich. A Application August 7, 194i, Serialv No. '766;923

GClaims.

This invention relates to liquid freezing devices and particularly, although not exclusively, to ice trays of the kind having a plurality of independent or individually removable cup-like molds or receptacles useful in refrigerators for making ice cubes or other frozen substances.

An object of the invention is to provide an ice tray or other liquid freezingdevice having an improved frame or supporting structure for a `plurality of individual freezing receptacles which is relatively light, easy and economical to manufacture, and not only constructed to hold the receptacles or cups in proper positions but also to enhance the rate of freezing of liquid therein.

A further object of the invention is to provide an ice tray or the like comprising an improved frame of strong and rugged construction adapted to hold a yplurality of cups or receptacles preferably formed of plastic material, such as polyethylene plastic, which cups or receptacles pos-z sess relatively thin walls and are not only highly flexible to facilitate quick release of the ice cubes but are also strong, durable and substantially unbreakable even when subjected to hard usage.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved liquid freezing cup or receptacle, preferably of flexible thin-walled plastic material, which terminates around its upper edge in a continuous outwardly extending rim or flange readily engageable by the fingers when ejecting the ice .from-the receptacle, the rim being provided with a depressed portion or portions eiiective to level the liquid or water in the receptacle upon lling the same so as to ensure a liquid level below the normal `height of the rim thereby facilitating removal of the ice cube from the receptacle.

Still another object of the invention is to pron vide asturdy one-piece tray frame for holding a number of liquid freezing receptacles, the .bot-- tom of the frame being provided with intersect'- ling ribs to position the receptacles and also having side drain grooves for carrying on water, the grooves being formed by shallow longitudinal bottom projecting ribs which facilitate removal of the frame from the refrigerator.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

Fig. Y1 is a plan view of a tray frame adapted to carry a number of individual liquid Vfreezing receptacles or molds constructed in Vaccordance ywith one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig'. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation, partly in section, oi the structure `shown in Fig. 1.

3 is -a plan view of one of the receptacles integrally in a handle vifi.

Fig. '5 ,is a section taken substantially through lines 5-5 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction oi. the arrows.

'Before explaining in detail the present inven tion it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in. the accompanying drawings, since the invention. is capable of other embodiments and of being' practiced or carried out in various ways. Also it is' to be understood that the phrase'ology or ter-4 minology employed herein is for the purpose of' description and not of limitation.

.In the' drawings there is illustrated, by way of' eiianple, an ice tray or the like constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the invention and comprising a frame structure adapted to reoeive a number of freezing receptacles, molds ori cups. In the present instance the frame struc'- ture Vis formed from -a single sheet or blank of material, such as sheet aluminum. The sheet is stamped or drawn by suitable press operations' Vto provide a one-piece tray frame 9 having a generally fiat bottom l0 terminating at opposite 'side edges in upright longitudinal side walls II. The upper vedges of these side walls or side members are turned or rolled into generally inverted U-shape so as to impart strength and rigidity thereto, these rolled or turned edges being indicated at I la. The bottom of the tray frame terv'initiates in a front upright end wall I2 and a rear upright end wall I3, these end walls being integral with the bottom I 0. The rear end wall I3 terminates at its upper edge in a rolled or turned edge I3a similar to the rolled or turned edges IIa which merge integrally into the rolled or turned edge l3a. The front upright wall l2 terminates It ywill .be noted that the handle 'lli comprises side portions Elia which merge integrally into the rolled edges im, and the turned edges of these side portions lac converge into a central handle portion which is embossedupwardly at leb to provide an underlying recess for the reception of the fingers when grasping the tray to withdraw it from the refrigerator freezing compartment or evaporator.

lhe bottom I of the tray frame is drawn centrally to provide a longitudinally extending upstanding Vrib or double wall partition member I5 which is of inverted generally U-shape construction. V'Ihis rib or partition member forms a longitudinal grid member dividing the tray into two sections for the reception of two rows of cups or receptacles. Thus, the central rib or grid member I5 divides the bottom iii of the' tray Vframe into two spaced longitudinally extending receptacle supporting bottom members at opposit'sides of the Ygrid I5. The bottom' I ci tile tray frame is also stamped or drawn to provide a number of pairs of transverse ribs or grid members I6 which merge seamlessly into the central rib or division member I5. The ribs I6 are inverted generally U-shape in cross section and the ribs of each pair extend in transverse alignment, preferably terminating short of the outer terminal edges of the tray bottom I and, hence, short of the side walls II. The ribs It in the present embodiment have the same height as the longitudinal rib I5, and these ribs are preferably of substantially less height than the height of the side and end walls II, I2 and I3. The rib I merges at I5a at its front end into the wall I2, and the rear end I5b of this rib preferably merges into the bottom wall short o f the end wall I3 so as to provide a space between the end I5b of the rib and the end wall I3 affording communication from one side of the rib to the other for the flow of water.

Thus, the ribs or grid members I5 and I6 not only serve to divide the tray frame into individual receptacle receiving spaces but also to strengthen and reinforce the bottom of the frame against bending, buckling or distortion in any direction. It will be noted that a space is left between the outer end of each transverse rib I5 and the adjacent side wall I I of the tray frame. Extending longitudinally through these spaces at each side of the tray frame intermediate the ends of the ribs I6 and the side walls II are two shallow drain grooves i'I. By pressing these shallow grooves into the bottom of the tray frame there are provided, as shown in Fig. 5, two shallow longitudinally extending ribs I8 which extend substantially the full length of the bottom of the tray adjacent the bases of the side walls II. These shallow ribs I8, which produce the drain grooves I'I, facilitate release or loosening of the tray frame from the bottom of the refrigerator freezing compartment. The bottom of the tray frame is pierced to provide a number of drain holes I9. As illustrated, each drain groove I'i communicates at each end with a drain hole I9,

there being preferably a suitable number of adb ditional drain holes I9 intermediate the ends of the drain grooves. The location and arrangement of the drain grooves II and drain holes I9 are such as to facilitate the drainage of water from the bottom of the tray frame during and i after the receptacles have been filled.

From the foregoing it willbe seen that the central grid or partition member i5 divides the interior of the tray into two longitudinal spaces for the reception of two rows of individually removable ireezing receptacles and also divides the base into two longitudinally extending runners or bottom supporting members which support the freezing receptacles and provide heat exchange contact with the bottoms of the receptacles over substantially the entire areas thereof. In addition, the transverse ribs or grid members le; di- Vide each longitudinal space into a number, such as eight, of individual receptacle receiving spaces. Although eight such spaces are shown in the present embodiment it will be understood that a larger or less number may be provided.

For freezing purposes the tray frame of the present embodiment is designed to receive eight receptacles, cups or molds 2b arranged in two rows of four each at opposite sides of the grid or partition member I5. Preferably each mold or receptacle is formed into a generally rectangular shape and the receptacles may either be spaced Vas shown with their longer dimensions y extending longitudinally of the tray frame or the latter may be formed to permit the receptacles to be arranged with their longer dimensions extending transversely of the tray frame at opposite sides of the partition member I5. Each cup or receptacle 20 is preferably formed from plastic material. Although various kinds of thermoplastic materials maybe used I have found that polyethylene plastic possesses important advantages when used in the fabrication of the cups or receptacles. The individual receptacles are, therefore, preferably7 produced from polyethylene material and this is accomplished by the process of injection molding. These cups have marked advantages in respect to flexibility, toughness and strength within a wide range from low freezing temperatures to temperatures approximating that of boiling water. The cups or receptacles formed from polyethylene plastic are not only highly flexible even at very low temperatures, permitting the quick release of ice cubes, but are characterized by surfaces of wax or paraffin-like nature, which have little or no appreciable adherence to the ice cubes. The toughness and flexibility of these receptacles are such as to render them extremely durable and unbreakable. so that the cups are long-lived even under conditions of hard usage.

Each cup or receptacle 2U is provided with upwardly flaring side walls 20a terminating in a continuous laterally extending rim flange comprising opposed portions 2% and opposed portions 2Ic. In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 3 the opposed portions 29h of the rim ange are formed during the injection molding operation with notches or depressed portions 2i, the depth thereof being predetermined as desired in order to govern the level of liquid remaining in the receptacle after filling thereof. The remaining portions of the rim flange including the ends Zc are preferably left iiat in this embodiment so as to extend in a common plane. With this construction it will be seen that the cup or receptacle 20 may be lled to overflowing, yet the excess liquid will flow through the notched or depressed portions 2I bringing the iinal level of liquid to a height corresponding to the height of the bottom of the notched or depressed portions 2l. The expansion of the water when freezing will as a result prevent the ice from forming above the level of the normal plane of the rim iiange.

In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 4 the cup or receptacle 22 is generally similar to the receptacle 20 and is preferably formed of the same material. In this cas-e, however, two opposite sides 22a of the continuous rim iiange remain flat in the same plane, whereas the remaining two sides are depressed at 23 on a shallow curve or arc extending preferably from one end to the other of the ange. The same results will be accomplished by this construction, where the rim flange is concave, as by the use of the notched or depressed portions 2| in the embodiment of Fig.3, since when filling the cup 22 the water will always find a level corresponding to the lowest point in the depressed portion 23.

Previously in the use of ice freezing cups or molds of this general character where the upper marginal rim or flange of the receptacle is continuously flat around the top of the receptacle, it frequently happens that the user fills the receptacles to the rims with water and then places the `tray in the refrigerator with the cups substantially, full to the brims thereof. Upon freezing the water, expansion in an upward direction occurs and lthe ice not only bulges upwardly above the level of the rim but also spreads laterally and overlies the rim flange. This condition renders it difficult to eject the ice cubes in the normal manner at the time the tray is removed from the refrigerator. The preferred method of quickly removing the cubes when thoroughly frozen and unmelted is as follows. The user places the tips of several ngers of both hands on the rim flanges at opposed sides and the thumbs upon the bottom of the cup. He then inverts the cup and by exerting moderate pressure with the thumbs against the cup bottom readily moves or forces the ice cube out of the cup into a glass or other receptacle. It will thus be seen that if the ice forms solidly over the rim flange diiculty will be encountered in using the foregoing method to eject the ice cube from the cup since the fingers, instead of engaging over the rim flange will engage over the edges of the ice cube and no amount of pressure of the thumbs upon the cup bottom will move the ice cube out of the cup since the cube will be held `by -the fingers. In other words, the ice cube in effect will be squeezed between the ngers and thumbs and will remain within the cup.

The foregoing difficulties are overcome by virtue of the present invention in which the rim flange is depressed or provided with a depressed portion at one or more localities, such as indicated at 2l and 23 in the embodiments of Figs. 3 and 4. Where the cup is rectangular I prefer to depress the rim at two opposite sides, leaving the rim flat at the other two sides for engagement by the finger tips when ejecting the frozen contents. However, the depressions in the rim flanges of the cups may be located as desired so as to leave portions of the rim flange of the cup higher than other portions so that the ice will lalways form below these higher portions thereby ensuring portions of the rim flanges free of overlying ice for engagement by the finger tips.

The depressed portions 2i or 23 have the additional advantage of imparting increased flexibility to the rim, 'thereby rendering it easier to eject the ice cube from the cup. Thus, if the tips of the fingers are engaged over the rim portions Zc in. Fig. 3 or the rim portions 22a in Fig. 4 and pressure is applied with the thumbs against the cup bottom, the cup will tend to bend or iiex somewhat on a line across the notches 2l or across the centers of the concave depressions 23, thereby quickly freeing the adjacent walls from the ice cube.

I claim:

1. A liquid freezing device including a pan shaped frame having a bottom and upstanding side walls extending upwardly from the bottom continuously around the four sides of Ithe frame, grid means pressed into the said bottom to provide recesses to receive a plurality of individual receptacles, longitudinal downwardly extending shallow ribs formed in said bottom adjacent opposite side walls thereof, said ribs forming shallow drain grooves in the upper face of said bottom, said bottom having drain holes communicating with said grooves.

2. A liquid freezing device including a pan shaped frame having a bottom and upstanding side walls extending upwardly from the bottom continuously around the four sides of the frame, grid means pressed into the said frame to provide spaces to receive a plurality of individual receptacles, longitudinal downwardly extending sha1- low ribs formed in said bottom adjacent opposite side walls thereof, said ribs forming shallow drain grooves in the upper face of said bottom, said bottom having drain holes communicating with said grooves.

3. A liquid freezing device including a pan shaped frame having a bottom and upstanding side walls extending upwardly from the bottom continuously around the four sides of the frame, grid means pressed into the said bottom to provide recesses to receive a plurality of individual receptacles, longitudinal downwardly extending shallow ribs formed in said bottom adjacent opposite side walls thereof, said ribs being spaced inwardly from the juncture of the bottom and the said opposite side walls and forming shallow drain grooves in the upper face of said bottom, the latter having drain holes communicating with said grooves.

4. A liquid freezing device including a pan shaped frame having a bottom and upstanding side walls extending upwardly from the bottom continuously around the four sides of the frame, longitudinal and transverse intersecting upwardly projecting ribs pressed into said bottom to provide spaces to receive a plurality of individual receptacles, and grooves formed in said bottom between the ends of the transverse ribs and the adjacent side walls, said grooves providing shallow exterior ribs on said bottom.

5. A liquid freezing device including a pan shaped frame having a bottom and upstanding side walls extending upwardly from the bottom continuously around the four sides of the frame, longitudinal and transverse intersecting upwardly projecting ribs pressed into said bottom to provide spaces to receive a plurality of individual receptacles, a plurality of receptacles adapted to t into said spaces, and grooves formed in said bottom between the ends of the transverse ribs and the adjacent side walls, said grooves providing shallow exterior ribs on said bottom.

6. A liquid freezing device including a pan shaped frame having a bottom and upstanding side walls extending upwardly from the bottom continuously around the four sides of the frame,

' grid means pressed into the said frame to provide spaces to receive a plurality of individual receptacles, a plurality of receptacles adapted to t into said spaces, longitudinal downwardly extending shallow ribs formed in said bottom adjacent opposite side walls thereof, said ribs forming shallow drain grooves in the upper face of said bottom, said bottom having drain holes communicating with said grooves.

JOHN H. ROETHEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Polyethylene on pages 11 and 39 to 43 o! Magazine Plastics, September, 1944. 

